Johnnie Walker Classic,
Blue Canyon C. C.,
Phuket, Thailand
22th - 25th January 1998

Par 72 Prize Money £800,000

Third Round Report

Third Round Scores
Second Round Report
Second Round Scores
First Round Scores
First Round Report
Preview

Faldo moves one-shot behind Els

By Mark Garrod, PA Sport

Phuket, Thailand, 23rd January 1998 - Nick Faldo is likely to have one eye on Ernie Els and the other on the clock when he goes for the 40th victory of his professional career in Phuket on Sunday.

Faldo received a slow play warning on his way to taking up position a stroke behind Els in the third round of the £800,000 Johnnie Walker Classic.

Once voted by other players the slowest man on the US Tour and once seen crying on television after being fined, Faldo fell foul of a new crackdown on the European circuit.

Two players were penalised a shot and fined £500 on Thursday, but the former Open and Masters champion avoided that by just a few seconds on this occasion.

The warning came when he took 72 seconds over his tee shot at the 221-yard 17th - the guideline figure is 50 seconds - and if he had infringed again the penalty would have been imposed.

But Faldo then took a lightning eight seconds on the chip shot that followed, 15 over a three-foot putt and the nearest he came to overstepping the mark was when he took 42 seconds over his final drive.

After signing for a 69 and nine-under-par total of 207 Faldo spoke with chief referee John Paramor and then refused to talk about anything other than his birdies and bogeys to waiting reporters.

Paramor was slightly more forthcoming on Faldo, observing: "He can sometimes be deliberate. I wanted him to fully understand how we are going to administer this here in Europe.

"Nick thinks it should be absolutely black and white, but it can't be cast-iron. We have sensible guidelines."

Els said: "I agree with what the officials are doing. I don't like playing with slow players. I like to get to my shot and be ready. I've never been warned."

Of more concern to the South African were the mental mistakes he made in a 74 that was as erratic as his second-round 65 had been sublime.

The defending champion said: "I'm fortunate still to be leading. I had one bad break when I drove into a divot on the 13th, but there's no excuses. I've won wire-to-wire before and I should know what to do."

He admitted he was still thinking about his bad luck when he pulled a seven-iron into the lake on the short 14th and double-bogeyed.

Faldo has won this title in 1990 in Hong Kong and 1993 in Singapore, and a 25-foot eagle putt on the long 11th was the blow that took him on to Els's heels with a round to go.

For the third day running Faldo was playing with his Ryder Cup partner Lee Westwood, but the Worksop 24-year-old came off "shell-shocked" and with his mind "scrambled" after dropping to seventh place, four behind Els, with a 73.

Westwood, a winner in Spain, Japan and Australia in November, had six birdies for the second day running, but scored seven strokes worse. His worst blunder came when he flew out of bounds from a fairway bunker at the 360-yard 16th and ran up a double-bogey six.

Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng, named Asia's Golfer of the Year for 1997 on Friday night, lies third on eight under, and then come Ireland's Padraig Harrington (73), German Alexander Cejka and Australian Peter O'Malley one shot further back.

Tiger Woods missed an opportunity to get back into the hunt, a 71 leaving him eight behind.

His world No 1 spot is now in danger - he needs to finish 25th and is currently joint 18th - but the 22-year-old Masters champion said: "I won't lose sleep about that. All we care about is four tournaments."

Woods means the majors, of course, although his comment may not go down too well with the sponsors who are thought to pay him up to a million dollars for his presence in their event.

"I had my chances," he said, before being ushered through the crowd by minders.

"I didn't play very well again and I definitely didn't make any putts. It's all aspects of my game that aren't quite firing, and I don't think this is the right time to assess whether it's just because it's early in the season yet."

Woods, who three-putted from 10 feet on the 16th, once came from nine strokes back in the final round to win a junior tournament - but he didn't have players as good as Els and Faldo so far ahead of him then.

© PA Sporting Life